Testis cancer: symptoms and treatment

Testis cancer

The majority of testicular tumours arise from a type of cell in the testicle called a germ cell. There are two main groups of testicular tumours: seminomas and nonseminomatous germ cell tumours (NGCST). Rare tumours of the testis include sex cord stromal tumours, lymphoma and metastases.

Symptoms of testis cancer

Staging, usually in the form of blood tests and CT scans of the body, is used to identify if there is cancer beyond the testicle. Stage I testicular cancer is defined as cancer that is limited to the testis only. Stage II testicular cancer has spread (metastasized) to the abdominal lymph nodes. Stage III testicular cancer has spread to other organs

For testicular cancer a prognostic classification system has been developed to identify good, intermediate and poor prognosis patients. This is largely based on the extent of tumour seen, the levels of AFP marker expressed in the blood. Men with stage I testicular cancers have an excellent prognosis.

Treatments of testis cancer

For patients with stage 1 seminoma, and this accounts for approximately three quarters of all men with testicular seminoma presenting in the UK, approximately 20% will harbour microscopic disease in the abdominal lymph nodes. This microscopic seminoma is highly sensitive to low doses of conventional radiotherapy sand it has been standard practice to treat such stage 1 seminoma patients with radiotherapy bringing their first time cure rate up to 95%.

Watch and wait policies have substituted this proactive therapy policy, but have in general been eschewed because of the large amount of follow up scanning necessary.

Recently, it has been confirmed that the extreme chemo sensitivity to platinum based chemotherapy could be used to substitute radiotherapy in these stage 1 cases.

In early stage 2 seminoma, radiotherapy may still be curative but when the bulk of disease increases (Stage 2B-C) primary chemotherapy always supersedes with or without radiotherapy (or occasionally surgery) to any residual abdominal node masses.

Radiotherapy is less useful for the NSGCT tumours and the policy for stage 1 teratoma patients is watchful waiting with serial serum marker tests (HCG and AFP) and CT scanning regularly.

Approximately 20% of patients who are stage 1 at presentation subsequently relapse and, so long as the relapse is picked up early, their longevity/cure chance is not prejudiced by the watchful waiting policy.

For stage 2 NSGCT disease and all other higher risk groupings, full courses of chemotherapy are advised.

The response to chemotherapy is monitored by serial assessment of serum markers (HCG and AFP) and by serial scanning. Even after curative doses of chemotherapy have been delivered, a residual mass may remain in the region of the abdominal lymph nodes; a PET (positron emission tomogram) will predict whether this still contains viable tumour cells, as this scans for metabolically active lesions. Many doctors prefer to surgically remove any residual masses; a proportion of these may be inert cells.

Following completion of the chemotherapy programme, the patient must be assiduously watched for three years. If relapse of any testicular tumour occurs it is likely to be in the first three years, although the literature does contain instances of later relapses.